Issa Rae is returning to YouTube — and this time, she’s bringing a whole new format with her.
Her latest series, Picture This, is an interview-style game show with a twist: instead of just talking through their stories, guests have to draw and pitch them in real time. The HOORAE-produced series premieres March 24 and is hosted by Jonica Booth, reuniting Rae with one of the standout stars from Rap Shit.
From the trailer, the concept is simple but smart. Each guest pulls from their own life to build a show idea, sketching out characters and story beats as they go. Midway through, a surprise genre shifts the entire direction of their pitch, forcing them to adapt on the spot. By the end, they’re presenting a full concept — and Jonica decides whether it gets the greenlight or a pass. If it’s a greenlight, the idea could make its way back to Issa.
The lineup already gives you a sense of the energy. Megan Good, Lil Rel Howery, and The Kid Mero are all featured, and the clips lean into exactly what you’d expect — messy drawings, unexpected stories, and that mix of humor and honesty that comes from people trying to turn real-life moments into something bigger.
But what really makes Picture This stand out is what it represents for Issa Rae.
Before the deals, before HBO, before everything that came with Insecure, she built her audience on YouTube with her TV show The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl. That series didn’t just introduce her voice — it proved there was an audience for stories that weren’t being centered anywhere else.
That momentum carried into Insecure, which became a cultural touchpoint, and later into her second series Rap Shit, where she continued spotlighting new voices and perspectives. So this return to YouTube doesn’t feel like a step back — it feels like Issa getting back to a space where experimentation is the point.
And Picture This fits right into that. It’s loose, it’s creative, and it’s built around the idea that storytelling doesn’t have to start polished — it can start with a sketch, a memory, or a random idea that turns into something bigger.
At the same time, it quietly taps into something deeper: development. By turning the pitch process into the show itself, Rae is creating a space where ideas are tested, shaped, and seen — all in real time.
Picture This premieres March 24 on YouTube.